Kailua-Kona, Big Island of Hawaii — More than 5,000 miles from its Kailua-Kona, Hawaii headquarters, Kona Brewing Company held a traditional Hawaiian blessing at Redhook Ale Brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on April 28. Kona Brewing Company, Hawaii’s largest brewery, recently began brewing its beer at the Portsmouth brewery to fulfill East Coast demand for its fresh craft beer in an environmentally responsible manner.

“The blessing was our way of bringing our sense of place – Hawaii – to our partner brewery in New Hampshire,” said Kona Brewing Company’s President and CEO Mattson Davis. “Our brand’s popularity certainly begins with the beers’ great tastes. And it goes beyond that. It’s about Hawaii, about sharing the aloha spirit and our ‘Liquid Aloha’ with those on the mainland as well as our residents in and visitors to Hawaii. The blessing was a thrilling experience.”

Kona Brewing Company brings Hawaii’s most popular beer to discriminating mainland beer drinkers in a manner that is environmentally sensitive. By crafting its beer close to market, Kona Brewing Company can ensure consumers receive the freshest beer, while minimizing the company’s carbon footprint and eliminating huge transcontinental shipping costs. In 2009 Kona Brewing Company is adding several new mainland markets, including Connecticut, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Kona Brewing Company's President and CEO Mattson Davis admires the New England-grown ipu that was presented to Kona Brewing Company at the blessing of its partner brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Photo by Aaron Rohde.

“Mainland Kona drinkers can be assured our Kona brewery is still the place where our recipes originate, and we know the fresh taste says ‘Liquid Aloha,’ ” continued Davis. “We are also proud that the mainland batches are a little easier on the environment as we strive to be good stewards of the planet’s resources.”

In late 2008, Kona Brewing Company bottled its first official beer at the Portsmouth brewery. The beer brewed at the New Hampshire facility is distributed throughout Kona’s East Coast markets. By the end of the year, Kona Brewing Company projects it will be brewing 20,000 barrels of beer at its partner brewery in Portsmouth.

Al Ku’ahi Wong, originally from Hawaii and now residing in Boston, Mass., led the traditional Hawaiian blessing. Wong is a leader at Hui Anuenue, the New England Club of Hawaii, and much of his family still resides on Hawaii’s Big Island, just miles from Kona Brewing Company’s original brewery. During the ceremony Wong and representatives from Kona Brewing Company and the Portsmouth brewery visited each area of the brewing facility, sprinkling Hawaiian sea salt as a cleansing ritual. Throughout the ceremony, Wong paid tribute to each of Kona Brewing Company’s brewing facilities and emphasized the importance and uniqueness of the company’s “global ‘ohana” as it shares Hawaii’s aloha spirit throughout the mainland and beyond. As a mahalo, or thank you for Wong’s expertise, Kona Brewing Company purchased a collection of National Geographic Atlas books to donate to Konawaena High School, a public school just south of Kailua-Kona, on behalf of Hui Anuenue.

Kona Brewing Company was started in the spring of 1994 by a father and son team that had a dream to create fresh, local island brews made with spirit, passion and quality. It is a Hawaii-born and Hawaii-based craft brewery that prides itself on brewing the freshest beer of exceptional quality, closest to market to create the smallest carbon footprint. The company is headquartered where it began, in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island. It has grown into Hawaii’s largest brewery, has three restaurant sites in Hawaii and beer distribution reaching 28 states and Japan. In 2008 Kona Brewing Company posted nearly 50 percent growth over the previous year, increasing its barrels sold to 93,104. It is the 14th largest craft brewery in the country based on 2008 sales. For information call 808-334-BREW or visit www.KonaBrewingCo.com.

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4 Responses to “Kona Brewing Company blesses New Hampshire brewery”

I am a NH resident who likes well crafted beers. I came across the Kona brands at a supermarket and was very excited. Having a few minutes before checking out I read the fine print on the premise that fine print is often more revealing than big “showboat/gotcha” print. Well to my surprise I find that it is brewed in NH. Last I checked that was 5,000 miles away from Hawaii. Business can do what it wants, but many breweries ship their over the waters. And I think deceptive practices are killing America real fast. At least put in bold letters “Licensed by Kona, BREWED IN NH”. It is perfectly visible why the “brewed in NH” was sharing space with fetuses and pregant women on the WARNING label. Can’t wait till Kona brews a NH maple porter under the Woodstock brewery brand labeling. A-loha.

Hello ran across your web site today and found it very interesting I live in St Louis home of Budweiser something were not so proud of anymore but I love trying different beers from around the world I don’t know if you have one in your city but we do we have a store called World Market and they literally import at least a hundred beers from all over the world they even sell individual bottles so you can try them do a web search if you have this store by all means go there it is a treat

PS I have nothing to do with the store just an incredible store if your town has one and to the post above he is so right hate the big companies trying to pretend to be a micro brewery